The List: 12 Aug 1999 (Issue 366)

Edinburgh club venue The Vaults. People generally fall into two camps: ’blinding club, man’ or the (usually female) ’eeeugh! But its so sweaty in there.’

The news is good; dehumidifiers have been installed to reduce the moisture levels on the walls so the,

er, more delicate punter needn’t get

too drippy. The club is in the middle of some serious cosmetic and technical reworking but die-hard fans have no cause to panic, there are no plans as yet to turn it into another style bar.

Manager Bobby Anderson is launching it this month as a seven nights a week late opening venue with their license extended to Sam throughout the Festival. ’We want to clean the place up a bit, broaden its appeal and give everyone who works late somewhere to go at the end of the night that isn't a full-on club,’ he says.

There has been a great deal planned there for the Festival, from one-off events like the Clubbing for Kosovo Love Party (Sat 14 Aug) to current residencies Cosmic Disko (Fridays) and Real Time (Tuesdays). ‘Musically we want each night to contrast, so there will be something for everyone,’ explains Bobby.

Sunday is soul and funk because they want a night that ’gets right away from house music’ and Mondays are for ’any nutcases who are still out’ (that’ll be an unofficial Taste after-party, then). Wednesdays see the management’s choices from the recent Vestax DJ competition getting a chance to spin the wheels while on Thursdays The Beat continues with hard house and

techno.

So it would seem that another salubrious chapter is opening in the chequered history of The Vaults. The

. v

was”

A force to be reckoned with: Bobby Anderson (The Vaults) and Roger Howlson

(Wilkie House) get dressed for success

front room has been lightened up and looks positiver civilised while the back vaults (which were only ’discovered' a couple of years ago) will remain ’a wee bit dirty'. This latest incarnation comes after 300 years of use as, among other things, a bakery and a sanctuary for plague victims, many of whom Anderson believes are still in residence. Rhythm and ghouls: going out

doesn’t get much better. (Violet)

details.

l The Vaults, Niddrie Street. See listings for individual club

Underword

Innovation in any area, be it art, music or clubbing, tends to occur on the boundaries of established styles, a fact not lost on Underword. 'We're into cross-pollination, if you like, between different genres of music, and between art forms in general,‘ says Hobbes who, along with designer Calvin, forms the core of the "allective behind

An Undeord ﬂyer that was emailed to us earlier: Underword

Underword magazine and the series of Trans Scotland Express events operating 'beneath the Fringe' this summer.

Initially a fanzine dedicated to increasing the coverage of Edinburgh's underground music scene, Underword has grown into a fully-fledged mixed- media publishing/party promotion concern. And the reasons for it's

conception are simple: ’We wanted to offer creative people an opportunity to get their work out to the general public, and there just wasn’t a vehicle for that sort of thing in Scotland.’

The parties, accordingly, fill a gap in the Scottish club scene, offering up a collection of artists working in diverse fields, from spoken word to live post- rock electronica, in an attempt to translate the wide-ranging ethos of the magazine into a club format. As if that wasn't enough, Underword are pushing the visual side of clubbing too, with a hi-tech array of original projections and live video mixing adding to the adventure. And, if this all sounds a touch precious, having fun seems to remain a high priority, according to Hobbes: ‘We want to enjoy ourselves and entertain people, just in a different way.’ (Jack Mottram) I Trans Scotland Express is at Studio 24, Sun 75 Aug. Underword Magazine is out mid-September.

I I h III I ‘31 \ No sleep ’til the end of August

International Club Festival Ferry Corsten aka System F does the Euro trance thing in a big way, Fabio & Grooverider go all 'booyakka atcha junglist massive’ while Maggie & Alan Joy and their legions descend upon Teviot like the well-oiled party machine that they are. Superb. Teviot Row, Fri 73, Sat 74 and Tue 77 Aug.

Filth Alan Joy’s off on a dark sexy tip, encouraging all and sundry to get it off (read into that what you will, m’dears). Studio 24, Sat 74 Aug.

Room At The Top Ibiza caners Brandon Block and Alex P take time out from wreaking havoc on the White Isle to play the biggest summer anthems around. Room At The Top, Sat 74 Aug.

The Lizzard Lounge Edinburgh boasts one of the most talented collectives of musicians and DJs you're likely to find. Get down to Graffiti for some of the best hip hop, funk, soul, jazz and Latin sounds around. You'll thank us later. Cafe Graffiti, Sat 74 Aug.

Tribal Funktion I’m so excited/And I just can't hide it . . . Derrick Carter returns for night of Chicago house brilliance. The Tribal posse say that they would love to have him guest more often, but everyone else would end up looking crap in comparison. Fair point, we say. The Venue, Sat 74 Aug.

Tonight We're Going To Party Like It's 1889 Any club that actively encourages blatant Absinthe abuse gets our thumbs up, followed by our loathing the next day. La Belle Ange/e, Tue 77 Aug.